Fertilising blueberries

[sherlockofsheff]

Hi
I put 6 blueberry bushes in my garden a couple of years ago.
Whilst they seem relatively healthy they aren't thriving and I think it's because I've been scared to fertilise, water (with tap water) or mulch them what with the general advice on the internet which suggests that anything not highly acidic will kill them stone dead but not offering any advice on what to use.

Would I be likely to do any harm by the following:

Fertiliser: Blood fish & bone

Water: Tap water (when water butt empty)

Mulch: Composted horse manure (if I can't get enough composted fern leaves after doing my rhododendrons)

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Regards

Steve

[nickdub]

Most of that sounds OK except for the tap-water which could be a problem if you live in an area with alkaline water. You may be able to get round this by adding a weak acid to the water like vinegar or lemon juice, but that's not something I've tried myself so it would be better to get more advice from someone who knows more about it. It is possible of course to get a testing kit for alkalinity.

I think a photo will help, as it will allow people to see how the plants are looking now.

[muck lover]

Blueberries really dont like manure.
If you want to fertilize you could use some ericaceous fertilizer sometimes sold as fertilizer for rhodadendrons and azaleas. Mulching materials include pine needles, leafmould, coffee grounds or even just a layer of bought in ericaceous compost.
I am assuming your soil is fairly acidic. If not that might account for lack of vigour although blueberry bushes aren’t as rampant as currant bushes.
Anyway I hope your bushes perk up.
I have to grow mine mostly in containers of ericaceous compost. Good luck.

[Lardman]

Blueberries really dont like manure.
If you want to fertilize you could use some ericaceous fertilizer sometimes sold as fertilizer for rhodadendrons and azaleas.

This is also what I've had to resort to - the bushes weren't doing badly just not well. Last year I gave them a liquid feed every 3 weeks and they were much happier. I'm also trying the slow release ericaceous pellets this year - cos Im lazy, but they haven't impressed me at all yet.

[devonuk]

I believe the bonemeal in BFB is alkaline.

My 2 y.o. plants are growing pretty slowly in ideal conditions (camellias and azaleas love it here) so I'm hoping they are just slow beginners.

I have occasionally watered with tap water when the water butts run out, and they haven't keeled over.

[Kirk]

Not tap water, I did it once and the plant really hated it, and it was in about a 50-70 litre pot full of the right compost but it nearly died.

Does it need fertilising?
What is the natural soil they grow in. Just wondering if they grow naturally in a nutrient weak soil then you are not going to be doing them any good. So search out where they grow and in what. I always recall someone wrote that cranberries grow in acidic peat bogs, and that blueberries grow in similar parts of the world.

RHS says this:
If growing blueberries in garden soil, add plenty of bulky, acidic organic matter such as pine needles or composted conifer clippings. Avoid well-rotted farmyard manure as this is too rich for the plants and will scorch their fine, fibrous roots.


Although it seems we talk of a Ph of 5.5 it reads that that is the "least" acidic it should be. Several articals say Ph4 to Ph5.2. No idea where you are but check your soil.

I see you mention rhododendrons, they can poison the soil to prevent other plants growing. So the rhododendrons may be killing off the blueberries.

[sherlockofsheff]

Thanks for the replies.

I've mulched them with leafmould for the time being until my bracken mulch breaks down some more.

Regarding the bushes, they do look healthy enough. The leaves are dark green, but they don't seem to have grown a great deal.
The soil is definitely nutrient rich because the diverse weed population grow like billy-o, and it's definitely on the acidic side because the rhododendrons, camelias and pieris grow well.
Perhaps blueberries are slower growing than I thought.
I just worry about the not fertilising them. I'll have to resort to ericacious pellets, although ideally I was looking to use organic.

Regards the watering, I have banned my dad from touching the water butt which he keeps using to water the cabbages!!

[nickdub]

Good luck and happy gardening :-)

PS I have bought some blueberry plants this year, but as my soil is quite alkaline I'm going to keep them in containers.

[Brack]

I dug out a 6' X 2' section of the border, put broken slabs around the edge and backfilled with ericaceous compost. It's deliberately a few inches below the surrounding soil in the hope that it'd stay damper (as a sort of sump). Theres about 4" of compost with my usual clay soil beneath, and they don't need watering like they would in a pot. The blueberries grow well, as does the wintergreen I planted in there. There was/just about still is a lingonberry but the local cats/pigeons seem to hate it and it gets scratched/picked to bits all the time.

[Hatty3]

I put a thick mulch of pine needles around mine last year and they are now laden with fruit! I also added some sulphate of iron. It seems to have worked and I reckon it was mainly the pine needles.